Amid the growing outcry over so-called “pink slime” beef product, three U.S. governors are stepping up to defend the controversial meat. The trio of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, all of whose states have been affected by the backlash against the beef, joined together Thursday for a tour of a Beef Products Inc.'s operating plant in South Sioux City, Neb. The plant, one of the four responsible...

The effects of the “pink slime” hullabaloo are being felt far and wide, withTyson Foods Inc., the largest protein-pusher in the country, saying that the controversy has affected demand for beef. The ground meat - known in the industry as lean finely textured beef - has been abandoned by several grocery chains and school cafeterias after a sudden groundswell of social media-fueled protests this month. On Tuesday, Fresh & Easy supermarkets said customers could swap ground beef - ammonia-treated or not - from other grocery companies for fresh meat from its own stores Wednesday.

Beef Products Inc. told the Associated Press on Monday that it'll shut down operations at three of the four plants where it makes the meat product that critics have nastily taken to calling “pink slime.” But some food industry experts say that the company's trip through the grinder is unfair. BPI could have done more to inform consumers of the process it used to make what's known as “lean, finely textured beef,” said Seattle food safety lawyer Bill Marler. The company takes fatty meat trimmings, heats them and runs them through a centrifuge to take off the fat and then treats the remaining lean beef with ammonium hydroxide gas to eliminate bacteria such asE. coli.

A century ago, cautious housewives demanded that the butcher grind their beef in front of them so they could be sure he didn't toss in offal or scraps of lower-quality meat. Not a bad idea for the modern grocery shopper who thinks that the way to get hamburger is to put a fine steak through a grinder. A modern package of ground beef is more likely to come from not one animal but several and, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, will probably include head meat, the esophagus and other internal organs.

Kroger Co., the nation's largest supermarket retailer, on Thursday joined the growing list of companies that have dropped the beef product widely referred to as pink slime from their fresh meat cases. Both Kroger and the Stop & Shop chain said they would no longer sell fresh meat containing the product, known by the industry as lean finely textured beef. On Wednesday, supermarket chains Safeway, Supervalu and Food Lion said they would stop selling fresh meat containing the product because of widespread consumer concerns in the wake of media reports.

Safeway Inc. is dropping the beef product derisively called "pink slime" from its fresh meat cases, the nation's second-largest supermarket chain announced Wednesday. The company linked its decision to the recent negative publicity about the product. The action affects only fresh ground beef sold in Safeway stores, not foods prepared by other companies. Safeway stores operate under a variety of names -- including Vons in California and Nevada, Randalls and Tom Thumb in Texas, Genuardi's in Philadelphia, and Carrs in Alaska.

The nation's third largest supermarket chain announced Wednesday that it was joining with other major retailers and would stop selling ground beef containing “pink slime,” also known as “lean, finely textured beef.” Supervalu Inc. announced its decision in an e-mail to reporters. Earlier Wednesday, Safeway Inc., which operates Vons in California and Nevada, announced it was dropping the product. “While it's important to remember there are no food safety concerns with products containing finely textured beef, this decision was made due to ongoing customer concerns over these products,” Supervalu said in its statement.

"Pink slime" -- the ground beef additive maligned by a celebrity chef and incorrectly depicted in an Internet image as a fluffy pink concoction resembling soft-serve ice cream -- may not be appearing on your child's lunch tray come fall. And that would be news to celebrate were it not for a new study suggesting, as The Times recently reported, that all red meat is bad for you anyway. A spokesman with the USDA'S Food Safety and Inspection Service confirmed to The Times that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be making an announcement Thursday concerning the food additive and the national school lunch program.